Blessed Sacrament Parish was founded in the summer of 1956 by Archbishop Robert E. Lucey to accommodate the 405 families in the area in the north central portion of the city. Boundaries were Olmos Creek on the south, Missouri Pacific RR on the east, Blanco Road on the west and extending approximately 4.4 miles north of the intersection of Bitters Road and Blanco Road. Rev. Charles J. Drees was named pastor, and the first services were held in Mount Sacred Heart School Chapel.
In 1957, a temporary church with the capacity of about 400 and two two-story buildings were constructed. Blessed Sacrament School opened in 1958 with 650 students and nine Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Divine Child from Buffalo, New York. In 1960, an additional one-story building was added to the campus.
By January 1964, Blessed Sacrament Parish numbered 1300 families, and Church of the Holy Spirit was formed from the area north of Loop 410.
Our western boundary was moved to include the area west of Blanco Road as far as Olmos Creek and north to Loop 410. In June of that year, Father Drees was reassigned, and Father Ralph J. Smith was named to succeed him.
In 1966, a convent was built to accommodate the Sisters teaching at the school. However, with the decrease in their number, the Franciscan Sisters withdrew from Texas, and were replaced with Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament from Victoria, Texas. The convent building was later converted in the Child Development Center of today, and the remaining Sisters were moved to a house within the Parish.
In 1973, fundraising was begun for a permanent church. This effort culminated in our present, beautiful structure with the capacity of about 800 which was dedicated July 19, 1976 by Archbishop Francis J. Furey.
Father Smith was succeeded in 1977 by Father Michael O’Gorman who led the parish in many endeavors including planning the demolition of the original church building and replacing it with a Parish Center. When he was reassigned in 1990 to St. Gregory the Great parish, he was replaced by Father John O’Donoghue. The plans for the Parish Center were carried out and the facility was dedicated in 1998.
Blessed Sacrament Parish now includes about 1400 families and continues its tradition of prayer.